LVD was going to retire end of 2023 so even he knows he's not the All-Pro version LVD, but I mean at 34 he was 100 plus tackles and 6 (?) sacks. A few turnovers created. Made a couple stops in the playoff game too.
On top of that, as Bowles said before this season, LVD is like a coach on the field. Seen it all, knows it all. If he can mostly stay in close to the LOS, get everyone set, blitz, stop the run . . thats great.
I get Trask's point though about the on field role for SVD. The Bucs lose 5 of 6 or something when he goes down? Much more to that than SVD (much more), but anyone with eyes could see that last year opposing offenses exploited the Bucs inability to stop short quick passing game so expect teams to come right back to that until we stop it.
I would probably say
Mayfield
Wirfs (Barton)
Irving
(Reddick r Diaby/LVD/AWJ (ie pass rush or a key cog on the D)
Evans
Losing Evans would never be a good thing, great HOF player and TEAM LEADER. If we were to lose Evans early that would be really bad. Lose him for a couple games late, maybe not as bad assuming you have Egbuka in full stride and (hopefully) a healthy Godwin back and performing and maybe even McMillan and most importantly a running game in high gear. The Bucs probably get by because of their depth. Thats sort of the point of the Egbuka pick.
A lot of the Bucs OFFENSIVE success last season was that they put defenses in a no win scenario all the time and that started with the running game. Can the Bucs reproduce that same kind of running success now, with all the film out there, and early-on without Wirfs?
We are about to see. Might be a bit of a bumpy start.
PR gave a great break down of LVD last year and it was good and bad (by LVD's own high standards)
"David has continued to play at a high level well into his 30s. While his coverage ability did fall off a cliff in a sense last year and he earned his worst PFF tackling grade of his career (47.6), the longtime Tampa Bay captain still put up a season with 122 tackles (76 solo), 5.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. His overall PFF grade of 67.9 bordered on above-average and his 77.6 run defense mark was firmly above-average.
"David is still a key part of the Buccaneer defense, too, both in terms of impact and leadership. But Father Time catches up with everybody eventually, right? So, it wouldn't be surprising if at age 35, David is playing his 14th and final season in the league"
You could make a similar comparison with Evans. (Did earlier in another thread).
Evans is still a force on the field, but last season it was often in different way than in the past. Last year he got it done by really stepping more into Godwin's traditional role. We hopefully have Godwin back at some point and Egbuka, so two great options already at that role.
Can Evans be as dominant as a defense stretcher? Maybe not, but for sure as a scorer and chain mover. Add in his leadership and he is still very important piece of the puzzle.
(Based on the training camp reporting, we may see some of the Evans of old this season. If we get that version of Evans then look out!!)
we just got a little thinner at ILB with Walker's release
I'd say the top 5 needed to stay healthy
1. QB Baker Mayfield - goes without saying but a guy that throws 40+ TDs and was leader of a top 5 offense last year; yeah we need him.
2. LT Tristan Wirfs - Hopefully we can weather the storm the next few weeks but this is a different offensive line and offense without him
3. WR Mike Evans - sure there is perceived depth at the WR position but make no mistake, this offense will not be putting up 30 points a game without him
4. NT Vita Vea - Have a pretty thin defensive line, would not want to see how it looks without the big man upfront
5. ILB Lavonte David - I mean we didnt have Dennis last year and would be great if he can step up, but he's "just another guy" until we see it on the field
but he's "just another guy" until we see it on the field
Dennis doesn't deserve any special mention until he proves it, I get that, but we did sort of see it on the field last year, just in reverse.
Dennis went out for the season with a PFF coverage grade in the 75 range. His replacement, KJ Britt, had a coverage grade in the 40s, I think.
but he's "just another guy" until we see it on the field
Dennis doesn't deserve any special mention until he proves it, I get that, but we did sort of see it on the field last year, just in reverse.
Dennis went out for the season with a PFF coverage grade in the 75 range. His replacement, KJ Britt, had a coverage grade in the 40s, I think.
That makes him the tallest midget
but he's "just another guy" until we see it on the field
Dennis doesn't deserve any special mention until he proves it, I get that, but we did sort of see it on the field last year, just in reverse.
Dennis went out for the season with a PFF coverage grade in the 75 range. His replacement, KJ Britt, had a coverage grade in the 40s, I think.
That makes him the tallest midget
Taller than LVD. Think of it that way.
I think LVD had a crazy good run grade (78), but that only made his overall grade in the high 60s. SVD was 73. and that was a grade earned against Commanders, Lions, Eagles
So, at a minimum - if you have any faith in PFF grades - that makes him PRETTY TALL (16th out of 180ish, according to PFF).
Point though is that he has actually shown what he can do on the field, when healthy. I did NOT see it, like almost everyone here (except maybe Alldaway) but when they started showing that they were not taking an LB I went back and looked
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOSS6qUXle0
Theres a reason Bowles and Licht gush over the guy. and they dont even talk as much about his physical ability as they do his smarts, leadership etc.
The other misnomer about him is that he's not been injury prone as much as he has had ONE nagging injury, hopefully fixed now. Fingers crossed
any way, one of several interesting side stories for this season
Licht
“I think he’s a very good starting linebacker in this league,” Licht said of Dennis, adding that he’s “super-intrigued” by what Dennis will deliver.
“That was a big blow to us, bigger than a lot of people knew when he wasn’t able to play for us last year because he was really coming on,” Licht said
The LVD versus SVD thing is pretty silly. Its a little like "Godwin versus Evans," meaning SVD and LVD play different, but complementary roles. Licht/Bowles might be wrong, but they sure seem to see him as the heir apparent and as Trask CORRECTLY points out, a CRITICAL part of the defense.
Last season with SVD in we beat the Commanders the Lions and the Eagles. He goes out an Cousins puts up 500 yards. Kyle Pitts is a 3 reception for 35 yard TE. He puts up 7 for 88. One easy example.
Now, in that game LVD still comes up with a INT late, so again hes a great player.
Ben Solak
"The Buccaneers endured a ton of injuries in their back seven last season. The pass defense suffered for it, ranking 22nd in success rate against dropbacks and 24th in expected points added (EPA) per play. The LB2 position was an issue in coverage and run defense, as Dennis’ early-season shoulder injury left K.J. Britt, J.J. Russell and even veteran Deion Jones filling the spot.
Tampa Bay let Britt and Russell walk, and the team signed only Anthony Walker Jr. for depth. It then released Walker before the 53-man roster cut-down deadline. It’s hard to read this as anything but a ringing endorsement for Dennis’ health and preparedness to fill the starting spot opposite Lavonte David.
And for good reason: Dennis’ film was strong last September. He always has had issues staying on the field, but when he does, he’ll discourage those middle-of-the-field targets that often hurt Tampa Bay against quality pocket passers. That plus the young additions in the secondary could get the Bucs’ defense punching at the weight of the offense in 2025."
Dennis needs to show he can stay on the field... He can have a better PFF grade with a small sample size until he's blue in the face, but I need to see it consistently over a full season and not a handful of games.
You are right he has to prove it, but that's not the point. My point is that despite the struggles of last year the Bucs did next to nothing to address the position and instead are counting on Dennis fulfilling the promise he's shown in the limited action he's seen. They signed a couple low budget one year prove it free agents, one of which got cut. And they had a couple promising UDFAs one of which was cut. They are putting all their eggs in the Dennis basket when it comes to defending the pass which is why I put him at #5.Dennis needs to show he can stay on the field... He can have a better PFF grade with a small sample size until he's blue in the face, but I need to see it consistently over a full season and not a handful of games.